George V
George V (3, June, 1865 - 20, January, 1936) '''was King of of Great Britain, Emperor of the Commonwealth and Sovereign of the British Raj. From 1877 to 1891, George served in the Royal Navy until his elder brother's death in 1892 placed him in line to succeed the throne. Following the death of his father, Edward VII in 1910, George ascended to the throne. As King George V he reigned over Britain through the First World War, the passage of the Statute of Westminster, and the establishment of the Commonwealth of Nations. Biography Early Life George was born in the Marlborough House in London, England on 3, June, 1865 to the Prince & Princess of Wales, Edward and Alexandra, and was baptised in the following month by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Longley at Windsor Castle on 7, July, 1865. George and his brother Prince Victor were tutored by John N. Dalton, a clergyman of the Church of England, and began their education in 1871. In September, 1876, Prince George and his brother were stationed on the HMS Britannia for cadet training at Dartmouth, Devon and later served on the HMS Bacchante accompanied by clergyman Dalton, touring the Colonies and spending some time in Australia, the Caribbean, Egypt, and South Africa. In 1881, during a trip to Japan, George & Victor met Emperor Meiji & Empress Haruko of Japan. George spent the next decade sailing in the Atlantic Ocean and the West Indies as Commander of the HMS Melampus, serving under his uncle Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, in the Royal Navy. Prince of Wales Duke of Cornwall & York Edward VII expected his son to take a firm role in the state affairs of the British Empire and allowed him great leeway in doing so, giving him nearly unlimited access to state documents and assigning him to maintain relations with the British colonies to prepare him for his role as King. In 1901, George & Mary toured the British Commonwealth of Colonies & Dominions, visiting Aden, Australia, Canada, Ceylon, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the islands of Gibraltar, Malta, and the city of Port Said in the Egyptian Protectorate. While in Australia, George opened the first Australian Parliament, as a representative of the Crown. His father had allowed him a great deal of involvement in state affairs, and his wife often provided him counsel and assisted in writing his speeches. In 1905, George and Mary spent three months in the British Raj, during which time he briefly ventured into local socio-economic legislature and geopolitics. George later attended the coronation and wedding of his cousin Princess Eugenie of Battenberg to King Alfonso XIII in Spain, however the ceremony was interrupted by an unsuccessful assassination attempt of the new royal couple, and within the following week George journeyed to Norway to attend the wedding & coronation of his sister Queen Maud to King Haakon VII. Emperor of Great Britain Coronation & Political Involvement On 22, June, 1911, following the death of his father King Edward VII, George and Mary's coronation took place at Westminster Abbey in London. He celebrated the event by touring India & Ireland and going on a hunting trip with Baron Edward Lawson of Burnham in Nepal. George attempted to prevent the passage of the People's Budget Bill, which would implement high taxation on the wealthier classes to support social programs, however he was browbeaten by liberal blackmailing and failed to provide incentive to the conservatives to oppose it as they face the same threats. His father had agreed to support the bill while George was unconvinced of it's effectiveness, and attempted to veto his father's agreement through the House of Lords. This ultimately resulted in the bill being passed, fostered a distrust for the liberals and unionists in the King, and the creation of new liberal peers in the House of Lords. First World War On 4, August, 1914, King George V declared war on Germany after Kaiser Wilhelm II declared war on France and German forces occupied Belgium, threatening the sovereignty of the British Empire and their control of the English Channel. When Tsar Nicholas II was overthrown by the Russian Revolution of 1917, the British Empire offered political asylum to the Romanov Dynasty. However, as political tensions rose the British decided against it for fear of reprisals from the Soviets. MI1 had began coordinating a rescue operation on behalf of the Russian royals, however as the war waged on and the Bolsheviks power grew, the operation was never implemented and was eventually abandoned. The Tsar and his family remained in Russia, and the Romanovs were murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918. In the following year, MI1 organized similar operations to rescue the surviving Russian royals, including the Tsar's mother Maria, who were escorted to the Crimea and boarded a ship to Britain before returning to the last vestige of the Romanov's power in Denmark. In 1922, George toured Belgium & France, overseeing the construction of cemeteries for casualties of the war, and following one final visit to Italy in 1923, before ending official business travel outside of the Isles. Post-WW1 Reign Following the war George's extended family had lost a great deal of it's power in various revolutions in Austria, Germany, Greece, Russia, & Spain, and George felt responsible for ensuring the safety of the survivors. Thus, he ensured that the Russian exiles settled in relative comfort and safety in the British Isles, Canada, and Denmark. In March, 1919, George dispatched Lt. Colonel Edward L. Strutt was dispatched to escort the former Emperor Charles I of Austria and his family to Switzerland. In 1922, George sent the British Royal Navy to transport the Prince & Princess of Denmark & Greece to Paris. While the Danish-Greek royals spent most of their lives in France & Monaco following their rescue, the monarchy in Greece was restored shortly before George's death. George pre-war conflict with Prime Minister David Lloyd George came to a head during the reignition of the Irish Nationalism movement, which garnered George's support, and on 22, June, 1921, the King initiated negotiations with secessionists, and drafted a speech with South African General Jan Smuts to appeal for conciliation. This lead to drafting the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the establishment of the Irish Free State, and David Lloyd George's departure from office. George adopted closer ties with the labour movements, cultivating positive relations with trade union officials and affiliated politicians. These actions increased his popularity and garnered positive publicity for the royal family for the next two generations. The King's support of workers movements during the Great Depression furthered garnered celebrity of the royal family, and rendered the monarchy a unifying force in the political sphere of Great Britain for the following century, a custom still practiced by his granddaughter Elizabeth II in the 21st Century. Personal Life Family George and Mary sired six children during their marriage, expanding their family and influence throughout their tenure as King & Queen, they included; * '''Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor '''was born in 1894 and succeeded his father in 1936 as '''King Edward VIII '''before abdicating the throne to his younger brother, Prince Albert, in the same year. * '''Prince Albert, Duke of Windsor '''was born in 1895 and took the throne as '''King George VI, following his brother's abdication. * Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood was born in 1897. * '''Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester '''was born in 1900. * '''Prince George, Duke of Kent '''was born in 1902 and married into the royal family of Denmark & Greece. * '''Prince John '''was born in 1905. Later Life & Death In old age, George enjoyed collecting stamps and game hunting, hobbies he had maintained since his youth and provided him solace as his health began to fail. In 1932, he delivered the first Royal Christmas Speech which became a tradition of the royal family every year afterward. George's health took a toll due to the stress of his reign during the First World War, and endured an injury while horseback riding in France on 28, October, 1915. He continued to suffer from COPD & pleurisy during his reign, and this was exacerbated by his chronic smoking. On the orders of his doctors, the King took a recuperative trip through the Mediterranean on a private cruise in 1925, however this would be his last trip outside of Great Britain. In November, 1926, George fell ill with septicemia which resulted in the relief of his duties to his son Edward. The death of his sister Victoria caused him to fall into a bout of depression, and he retired to the Sandringham House in January, 1936, where he remained until his death. Gallery King George V Portrait.jpg King George V Portrait (7).jpg King George V & Windsor Family.jpg King George V (2).jpg King George V Portrait (5).jpg King George V Portrait (3).jpg King George V Portrait (6).jpg Minted Coin featuring George V.jpg Trivia * George owned a pet wallaby for a great deal of his youth during his time in Australia. * George and his cousin Tsar Nicholas II of Russia received matching dragon tattoos on their right forearms while travelling in Japan.